THE UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Holocaust Education in British Society and Culture Kara Leanne Critchell Doctor of Philosophy March 2014 This Thesis has been completed as a requirement for a postgraduate research degree of the University of Winchester. THE UNIVERSITY OF WINCHESTER ABSTRACT FOR THESIS FACULTY OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES Doctor of Philosophy Holocaust Education in British Society and Culture Kara Critchell Moving away from traditional encounters with Holocaust education in academic research this study explores the role of Holocaust education in the construction and mediation of British historical consciousness of the Holocaust. Following contextual explorations of the role of two of the most dominant symbols to have emerged within the field of Holocaust education since the establishment of the National Curriculum, the Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau, this study closely analyses the way in which each of these Holocaust icons has been represented and utilised within educational programmes promoted by the Holocaust Educational Trust. It is shown that the educational representations of these symbols contribute to the domestication of Holocaust consciousness within a British narrative, reinforcing positive interpretations of British national identity and the benefits of liberal democracy whilst, simultaneously, distancing the crimes committed during the Holocaust from the British public through representing these acts as the very antithesis of what is deemed to be British. Through such analysis it is demonstrated that Holocaust education, as it exists in Britain today, reflects the British context in which it has evolved whilst illustrating how it has also fundamentally been shaped by this same context. Whilst considering the ways in which these representations both reflect and shape understandings of the Holocaust this study also illustrates that the Holocaust as it exists in popular consciousness, and educational programmes, is being increasingly unmoored from its historical context as the iconic symbols associated with it are becoming gradually dehistoricised as a means of providing relevant “lessons” for contemporary society. As Holocaust educators reach a crossroads in their field and prepare to decide the future shape British Holocaust education will assume this research constitutes a timely contribution to existing knowledge and understanding of how the Holocaust is encountered within the educational sphere and within British society and culture. 1 Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………1 Declaration……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………3 Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………………….4 Preface………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….5 Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….9 Section 1: Holocaust Survivors 1. A ‘Very British’ Holocaust Memory: Domesticating the Survivor Experience in British Culture…………………………………………………………………………………52 2. The Representation of Holocaust Survivors in British Holocaust Education……………………………………………………………………………………………………………107 Section 2: Holocaust Sites 3. From Bergen-Belsen to Auschwitz-Birkenau? Holocaust Sites in British Consciousness.…………………………………………………………………………………………152 4. ‘Hearing is not Like Seeing’: Interpreting the Role and Representation of Sites of Memory in British Holocaust Education…………………………………………….203 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………262 Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………………………………268 2 Declaration No portion of the work referred to in the Thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or qualification of this or any other university or other institute of learning. I confirm that this Thesis is entirely my own work. ……………………………………………… Copyright in text of this Thesis rests with the author. Copies (by any process) either in full, or of extracts, may be made only in accordance with instructions given by the author. Details may be obtained from the RKE Office. This page must form part of any such copies made. Further copies (by any process) of copies made in accordance with such instructions may not be made without the permission (in writing) of the author. 3 Acknowledgements Firstly my thanks go to the Arts and Humanities Research Council who funded this research project. To my supervisor Professor Tom Lawson my enduring thanks for his guidance, patience and for all the advice and support he has given me over the last few years. I would also like to express my appreciation to Dr Colin Haydon for guiding me through the final stages of this study and to Dr Ruth Gilbert for her insight. My sincere gratitude also goes to Dr Andy Pearce who has been a supervisor in all but name throughout the course of this research. His support and guidance at a very difficult time was invaluable. I would also like to thank the Holocaust Educational Trust for making this research possible. I have been extremely fortunate to work with some wonderful people during my time at the Trust who have not only helped me gain a better insight into the organisation, and the world of Holocaust education more generally, but who have also, over many a lunchtime cup of coffee, helped me to see humour in every situation I encountered. In particular my thanks go to Kirsty Young, Ros Sandhu, Richard Hill, Tom Jackson, Shabana Marshall, Debbie Neubauer, Alan Polak, Karen van Coevorden, Anita Palmer, Karen Pollock and Alex Maws. My gratitude also to Rabbi Marcus of the Central Synagogue in London for his time. My thanks go to those whose friendship, laughter and encouragement has been invaluable. To Hannah Ewence, I would like to express my gratitude for her friendship and support. Having already survived this process she has always been ready to listen to my worries armed with a morale boosting glass of wine. Thanks also to my fellow research students Mark Hobbs, Stefanie Rauch and Leah Phillips. Particular appreciation goes to another collaborative research student Kathryn Pritchard (KP) with whom I have shared many an email, many a phone call and much laughter. My gratitude also to all those who have helped to remind me of the world outside research, in particular, my dear friends Lucy Bekatoros and Tim Spencer. And to Rupert Kyrle and Jo Noble, who helped me keep my head above water through the philosophy of ‘mountain and cloud’ and the inexhaustible supply of coffee. Heartfelt gratitude is due to the following individuals without whom this research would not have been possible. To my friend Emily Stiles with whom I have literally shared all the ups and downs of this process. Researching and writing a PhD is an incredibly lonely task but through our friendship I have always had someone to turn to. Emily, for the laughter, the sleep deprived conversations, for always being there and for understanding I can only say one thing: TH really does rock in socks! To my partner Simon, who has lived with the day to day reality of what a PhD entails, the brief thank you I can give here is nowhere near enough. His complete belief in me not only gave me the confidence to embark on this research but also encouraged me to persevere during those times in which I doubted myself. He has encountered some difficult moments of his own during the last couple of years but his support and his belief in me has never wavered. I truly cannot thank him enough. Lastly my final words go to my parents, Michael and Carol, who have been a continual source of encouragement and love throughout this journey. They have listened unfailingly to me talk about history for many years and have also accepted the strange world of the PhD student. Without their limitless support, and the care packages which have frequently found themselves being passed my way, this research would not have been possible. The faith they have always shown in me is something I can never sufficiently repay and it is to them that I dedicate this thesis with love. 4 Preface This research has been carried out as part of an AHRC funded Collaborative Doctoral Award between the University of Winchester and the Holocaust Educational Trust. The content of this thesis reflects the collaborative nature of this project in that Holocaust education in Britain is mainly explored through the lens of the work carried out by the Trust. Thereby providing a snapshot of the field of Holocaust education through exploring the work of the organisation with the most public and political profile of all those involved in the mediation of the Holocaust in British society. As part of this collaborative arrangement I was, during the course of my research, required to spend a few months at the Trust in order to better understand the ethos of the organisation. These awards are seen as a simple way of encouraging relationships between universities and non-academic organisations. Such partnerships not only reduce the conceptual distance between university led research and the public sphere but they are also seen to provide doctoral students with the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of a non-academic organisation and to disseminate their work within a non-academic environment. Through this AHRC award the Trust have willingly entered a dialogue with university based research and the decision to engage with a collaborative research project of this kind suggests a very constructive approach to how they view themselves, their work and the future direction of their organisation. For, despite the worthwhile and seemingly straightforward